17-year-old Senior At East Catholic Sets Golfing Record

Sports

Catelyn Eddy took up golf four years ago and since that time the 17-year-old senior at East Catholic High has developed into one of the area's rising young tournament players.

Eddy's major accomplishment on the home front this season was to write her name into the record book at Manchester Country Club.

Eddy captured the Girls Junior Division championship and then added the most prestigious event on the women's calendar when she captured her first Women's Division Tournament crown, a hard-fought 2 and 1 decision over Kelly Burns. The latter was the defending champion and winner the last two summers. Burns coaches the Manchester High girls team.

A product of the fine junior program at the club, Eddy is the first member to win both the junior and club crowns.

Last year, in her first quest for the club's top prize, she placed fourth. Eddy was the top player with the school girls the last two springs.

Following an outstanding season with the East Catholic squad, Eddy participated a second year with the Connecticut entry in the Tri-State matches against the best young talents from Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Eddy has a club handicap of 10. She has been an All-Northwest Conference selection the last two years.

Eddy is the second youngest member to win the club honors. Leigh Many was 15 when she won the first of her four women's titles in 1995. Many went on to win titles in three of the next four years, missing only in 1997 when she didn't compete.

Repeat Champions

Lon Annulli and Tom Vecsey successfully defended their championship on the Two Ball Golf Tournament at Manchester Country Club with a 2 and 1 decision over challengers Jack Medzela and Justin MacKinnon in the final round. The winners were the top seed in the final major club event of the year.

Medzela was also part of the finalists in the 1997 play with Joe Grodovich in losing to Mike McCarthy and Bill Zwick.

MacKinnon is the club champion, a title he first won in 2000. Annuli was club champion in 1984, 1988 and 1989.

Annulli and Vecsey defeated George Martin and Jeff Sanborn, 10 and 8, and Dave Malick and Rick Clough, 5 and 4. Medzela and MacKinnon downed Ward Holmes and P.V. O'Donnell, 4 and 3, and Greg Ertel and Dave Maloney, 1-up.

Rising Star

Laura Conter, only a sophomore at Manchester High, has already been classed as the most talented swimmer coach Dave Frost has had in his 28 years at the school.

Conter already holds four school swim records, two coming early this season. The youngster was timed in 59.94 in the 100-yard butterfly, shaving nearly a half second off the previous low set by four-time all-star Maurya Convares last year. She also lowered the school standard in the 200 yard individual medley.

Conter is following in the footsteps of her older sister, Erin, now a freshman at Duke. The latter was winner of the Pam Pratt Award last June as the top senior scholar athlete. She was a member of the swimming and tennis squads.

The victory was worth $10,000. Browne, a West Point graduate, plans to return to Manchester next month and compete.

Soccer Hat Trick

Brian Sapienza, a sophomore at Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania, has been a standout this fall with the varsity soccer team. His best individual effort was a three goal hat trick against Widener College.

Sapienza's play earned him Commonwealth Conference Player-of-the-Week honors. He is the team's second best goal scorer.

The local youth won the Male Coaches Award in 2001 at Manchester High as the highest ranking senior athlete who played three varsity sports. Sapienza was a regular with the soccer, hockey and golf teams at MHS.

All-Star Repeaters

Jeff Johnson and Matt Lavatori were repeat selections to the first Greater Hartford Twilight League all-star squad for the 2002 season from the Newman Lincoln Mercury team.

Johnson, a lefthanded first baseman, has been an all-star the last five seasons. The former Eastern Connecticut State University and minor league player posted a .419 batting average to lead his team to second place in the final regular season standings. He stroked seven homers, scored 39 runs and drove in 30.

Lavatori, a righthanded pitcher in his second year with the automen, won six of eight starts before missing the final month with arm problems. The former Manchester High and Keene State College hurler led the league with an ERA of 1.83. It proved to be the best for pitchers who worked at least 30 innings. Lavatori struck out 39 batters.

Veteran Dave Bidwell, who turned 46 last summer, was back on the all-star first team. The veteran righthander led his teams with a 7-1 record, the most victories for any moundsman, and boasted a 2.36 ERA.